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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) In a miserable season for his Arizona Cardinals, defensive coordinator Ray Horton is nonetheless a rising star in NFL coaching circles.
Expect Horton to be interviewed for some head coaching positions this offseason. Perhaps even in Arizona, should the Bidwill family decide to fire coach Ken Whisenhunt.
Horton was saying all the right things Friday after the team's final practice of the season.
``I would say today all I'm trying to do today is be the best D-coordinator in the league,'' he said. ``I didn't do it because we didn't accomplish our goals and the rest of that stuff kind of takes care of itself. Usually teams that win more are rewarded that way.''
But he did acknowledge it's every coach's goal to someday get the top job.
``That's what you're trying for,'' he said, ``and if you prepare well you should be ready.''
Last year, after his first season as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, he was interviewed for the St. Louis job that eventually went to Jeff Fisher. Horton said there's no secret to having a good job interview.
``I think if you're confident in what you do, probably every interview would be good,'' he said. ``I think I'm prepared, smart, knowledgeable, humble and everything that goes along with whatever that entails.''
Horton was an assistant at Pittsburgh when Whisenhunt tabbed him to be Arizona's third defensive coordinator in five years. Horton has a year left on his contract, meaning he couldn't leave for another coordinator's job without the Cardinals' permission. He could, however, leave to take a head coaching job. His players certainly believe in him. Defensive end Calais Campbell says Horton would be an ``awesome'' head coach.
``I wouldn't be surprised if he had a lot of different offers because he's very talented at what he does,'' Campbell said. ``He's smart, he understands the game, he's a great motivational speaker. I think he'll make a great head coach. He has that passion for winning.''
There hasn't been much winning in Arizona, though. The Cardinals, after a 4-0 start, have dropped 10 of 11 and are huge underdogs at San Francisco. The problems almost entirely are the fault of the offense, especially poor play at quarterback. Arizona is starting Brian Hoyer at the position on Sunday less than three weeks after he was picked up on waivers from Pittsburgh.
The defense, on the other hand, ranks 12th in the NFL overall and is third against the pass.
The Cardinals' 22 interceptions are second in the NFL, one behind Chicago. Their 33 takeaways rank fourth in the league. Their opponent passer rating (68.5) is first in the NFL and their opponent completion percentage (54.1) is second only to Houston (53.2). Their 37 sacks are tied for 10th. The defensive superlatives, however, do not include run defense. The Cardinals are 28th in the NFL in that category.
Still, Horton gives his defense a B-plus for its performance.
``Personally I would have liked to have seen a couple of shutouts and maybe a couple of other scoring opportunities that we could have helped the offense,'' he said. ``Probably over the season I'd probably take back no more than five plays, less than a handful, that I would love to call again.''
Horton said there was never a serious rift between the defense and offense, despite the stark differences in the performances of the two units. He credited the makeup of his team.
``They are highly motivated and inspired,'' he said. ``They play for themselves, meaning they have a lot of personal pride in their performance.''
Whisenhunt gave the defense an overall good review.
``You'd have to say the defense has played well,'' he said. ``I mean, we haven't done as good a job against the run game as we need to, but as far as turnovers and keeping us in games and making plays and scoring, the defense has done a great job.''
Online:http://pro32.ap.org/poll andhttp://twitter.com/AP-NFL
Follow Bob Baum at www.twitter.com/Thebaumerphx


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The month and day names that display on the calendar can be customized to fit most any language...Event Manager startup at current month
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subset: commoncrawl


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Laminate Flooring
Kronoswiss Grand Selection Laminate Flooring, Neige Oak, 14mm x 244mm x 2025mm
The Underground Collection Laminate flooring, Finsbury Oak - 18mm x 239mm x 2200mm
The Underground Collection Laminate Flooring, Kilburn Oak - 18mm x 239mm x 2200mm
The Underground Collection Laminate Flooring, Hyde Park Herringbone - 12mm x 90mm x 450mm
Balento Olympic Laminate flooring, Barcelona - 15mm x 125mm x RL - Underlay Pre-Attached
Kronoswiss Grand Selection, Laminate Flooring, Evolution, Copper Oak - 14mm x 191mm x 1380mm
Kronoswiss Grand Selection Laminate Flooring, Evolution, Graphite Oak - 14mm x 191mm x 1380mm
Kronoswiss Grand Selection Laminate Flooring, Evolution - Pearl Oak - 14mm x 191mm x 1380mm
The Underground Collection, Laminate Flooring, St. James Park Herringbone - 12mm x 90mm 450mm
Berry Alloc Laminate Flooring, Grand Avenue - La Rambla
Berry Alloc Laminate Flooring, Grand Avenue - La Fayette
Berry Alloc Laminate Flooring, Grand Avenue - Magnificent Mile
Laminate Flooring
We pride ourselves in providing a wide range of laminate flooring with thicknesses of 7-18mm. Our vast array of flooring caters to everyone's needs, be it in a domestic or commercial setting. All the laminates we offer are assembled with ease thanks to our innovative click system and provide customer reassurance with long lasting warranties, some for as long as 25 years.
Laminate flooring has evolved far beyond its humble beginnings, with manufacturers now carefully considering the colouring and style of products to the extent that it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell laminate from real wood!
What is Laminate Flooring?
The majority of laminate floors are made of high density fibreboard or HDF backing which forms the greater part of the board and has a variety of appearances and textures on top. The click lock system allows for the installation of floors without the need for glue or nails. Also these boards have a photographic film of real wood, providing the impression that it is a real wooden floor. Lastly the boards are reinforced with a hardened laminate coating, making the boards durable and resistant to marks and scratches, some now even water resistant and waterproof!
Why Laminate flooring is a good choice for you.
Practicality is the essence of laminate flooring. The buyer is gifted beautiful, durable boards at affordable prices. While it is lighter than solid wood floors, laminates are far denser, protecting it more effectively from household and commercial wear and tear by such things as chairs or stilettos. The hard-wearing laminate coat makes for a more durable finish, protecting it from scuffs and scrapes, ideal for those worried about potential damage from pets or young children. The ever evolving world of laminate flooring means there has never been such a vast array of affordable and realistic looking floors on offer than there is now.
All specifications online and in store are from time to time subject to change, including but not limited to box volume, plank sizes, plank thickness, plank width & length, veneer thicknesses, finish, tones, fitting mechanisms, manufacturing and supplier batches. Please check all details at order point.


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Celtics Edge Raptors 89-85 in NBA Europe Live Tour OpenerIt is a long way from Rome to the NBA title--literally and figuratively--but the revamped Boston Celtics got off to a good start with an 89-85 preseason victory over the Toronto Raptors in the opening game of the NBA Europe Live Tour, played before 11,118 fans in the sold out PalaLottomattica. New Celtic Kevin Garnett scored 19 points and had a game-high 16 rebounds, while Paul Pierce led all scorers with 21 points. Garnett shot 8-16 from the field, while Pierce shot 8-14. The third member of Boston's "Big Three," Ray Allen, had a quiet performance, contributing 10 points on 4-13 shooting. Starting center Kendrick Perkins picked up three quick fouls, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds.
One of the big questions for Boston this year is what kind of production the team will get out of the point guard position. Starter Rajon Rondo had six assists and just one turnover but scored only four points while shooting just 2-7 from the field; expect him to be left open to shoot many jumpers while teams trap and pressure the Celtics' stars. Reserve guard Eddie House scored 14 points on 6-10 shooting in just 22 minutes but, as NBA TV announcers Tim Capstraw and Dave Johnson noted, despite House's diminutive stature he is not a true point guard; House only had one assist. House's outside shooting could be valuable for the Celtics but his limitations as a playmaker and defender mean that he simply cannot be relied on for more than 15-20 mpg. T.J. Ford led Toronto with 15 points and five assists. Andrea Bargnani added 13 points and Chris Bosh, who was not able to play for Team USA due to plantar fasciitis, had 12 points and nine rebounds.
The new Celtics era began with Boston winning the jump ball and Pierce earning two free throws after a strong drive to the hoop. He made them both and Boston soon took an 8-2 lead. By the 7:43 mark Garnett, Pierce and Allen had each scored. The trio displayed very good chemistry--at least on offense. Defensively, the Celtics had several breakdowns early in the game, allowing Toronto uncontested drives and wide open jumpers. Capstraw attributed this to "training camp legs" but this is the end of the court that bears watching for the Celtics. There is no doubt that Boston can be a very potent team offensively but championships are won by controlling the paint defensively. It can take some time for a coach to fully implement a defensive system; it will be interesting to see how long this process takes in Boston and whether or not that timetable meshes with fans' expectations and the amount of mileage that Garnett, Pierce and Allen have already put on their bodies. Toronto led 27-20 at the end of the first quarter.
The Raptors extended their lead to 34-22 before House hit a couple jumpers to pull the Celtics to within 34-28. Toronto threatened to push the margin into double digits again, going up 40-31, before Boston closed the half with a 12-0 run. Garnett scored the final points with an offensive rebound that he converted into a three point play. He already had a double double (10 points, 11 rebounds) by halftime. During the halftime show, NBA TV ran a feature story about how Garnett, Pierce and Allen are getting used to each other while at the same time enjoying themselves in Italy. The three stars are grateful to be on the same team, have high expectations but also realize that their legacies will be defined by how well they perform in the playoffs. Pierce noted that it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that the Celtics did not get the number one pick in the draft because if they had then Garnett and Allen would not likely be on the team now. Allen said, "We can each go out and score 20 points apiece but if we don't make our teammates better then we'll be home early--very early--and none of us wants that." Garnett, with a serious look on his face, added, "We've done nothing," before lightening the mood by saying that the trio is not the "Big Three" but rather the "C-tles" (as in the Beatles), concluding with a big smile, "I'm Paul (McCartney)."
Pierce showed off his whole offensive repertoire in the third quarter, scoring on drives, fadeaways and postups but Boston still had some defensive issues and the Raptors outscored the Celtics 28-27 to trail 70-68 going into the final period. Since this is just the first preseason game, the starters sat out the fourth quarter, so we did not get a chance to see what Boston's execution will be like down the stretch of a close game.
Obviously, no sweeping conclusions can be drawn after one preseason game. The Raptors got off to a good start in the first quarter and looked very much like they did last year when they won the Atlantic Division title. They struggled to make shots in the second quarter, scoring just 13 points in what turned out to be the decisive 12 minutes of the game. Barring injuries to key players, it is reasonable to expect that they will be at least as good as they were last year. The Celtics showcased some terrific ball movement, keyed by the unselfishness of their stars; their assist totals (four for Allen, three for Pierce, two for Garnett) do not really reflect how often and how willingly they shared the ball not only with each other but also with their other teammates. If anything, they were almost guilty at times of overpassing, which is not a bad problem to have in the early going with three All-Stars who are getting used to each other. Garnett spent a lot of time down low on offense, particularly on the left block, and it will be great for Boston if he stays there and does not drift outside. The last thing that the Celtics need is to have him shooting jumpers when they already have Pierce and Allen to do that. When Garnett was on the block either Allen or Pierce was on the same side wing to make the entry pass, while the other star was stationed on the opposite wing. Perkins manned the weakside block and Rondo was at the top of the key. That is a pretty basic set, obviously, and one can expect wrinkles to be added by the time the regular season rolls around. Still, that basic set is a pretty good one to operate out of for the majority of the half court possessions. Depending on matchups, the Celtics also moved Pierce to the block at times and on other occasions Pierce utilized an isolation play to attack his defender one on one from the wing. Whoever plays point guard is going to be presented with a lot of open shots and whoever plays center will have many offensive rebounding opportunities. The unanswered question offensively is what will Boston's bread and butter play be down the stretch in close games. Garnett has rarely shined as a featured player in such situations, while Pierce and Allen are used to taking those kind of shots.
The other thing to consider is that in order to be in close games against the best teams the Celtics will have to play good defense. It is usually easy for even a casual fan to notice which players are playing selfishly on offense but when there is a defensive breakdown it is not always obvious who is really at fault. The great teams work together very unselfishly on defense and their players are always quick to help each other. After the game, Boston Coach Doc Rivers said that overall he was pleased with his team's defensive "effort," which is not the same as saying that he was satisfied with his team's defensive execution. The Celtics certainly seemed to put forth effort and in his post game comments Pierce acknowledged that it is very important for Boston to become a good defensive team.
Sharing the ball on offense does not look like it will be a problem for Boston--but that is only part of the challenge for championship level teams. Will Garnett, Pierce, Allen and the other "C-tles" work just as hard and share the load as smoothly on defense?
posted by David Friedman @ 11:48 PM


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The three-hour rule alarm clock has gone off.
Starting Thursday, air travelers have something they've never had before: regulatory protection against tarmac delays of three hours or longer. Whether that's good, bad or unnecessary is a matter of opinion, but it already looks like the new rules will offer both more and less than many people have bargained for.
Big fines for bad performance
Announced by the Department of Transportation (DOT) last December, the new rule runs 81 pages and seeks to enhance airline passenger protections on several fronts. It takes effect April 29.
The heart of the regulations deals with extended tarmac delays and mandates that passengers on domestic flights be allowed to disembark after three hours (provided doing so doesn't create a safety or security issue or interfere with airport operations). The fines for violating the rule are as high as $27,500 per passenger, which works out to $3 million or more for a stranded 737.
According to government statistics, 903 planes with passengers onboard were stuck on the ground for three hours or more last year. Among the most notorious examples — and the fuse that got DOT fired up — was the stranding of an ExpressJet flight in Rochester, Minn., in August. That mishap, which left 47 passengers onboard overnight, resulted in a fine of $175,000.
High-profile incidents aside, however, the number of passengers stranded for three hours or more is exceedingly small, one reason the airline industry opposes a "hard" limit. According to John Meenan, chief operating officer for the Air Transport Association, "just 0.014 percent of flights experienced delays of three hours or more ... that's one in 7,143 flights."
Then again, it's something else entirely if you happen to be on that one flight. As Amy Cohn, associate professor of industrial and operations engineering at the University of Michigan, says, "If you're one of 200 people who spends an entire night on a plane on the ground, it really doesn't matter if you're one in a million."
Fewer delays, more cancellations?
While extended tarmac delays impact relatively few passengers, the airlines' efforts to comply with the new rule could affect millions. "If there's a fine out there and the airlines are in doubt about what's going to happen, they'll become exceedingly cautious," says industry consultant Darryl Jenkins. "We'll probably see an enormous number of cancellations."
In fact, pre-emptive cancellations could become standard operating procedure. (During February's epic storms, many flights were canceled before the snow fell, a move the airlines say facilitated ramping things back up when the weather cleared.) The problem, notes Jenkins, "is that load factors are now so high, it can take a long time to get a seat on another flight." Slideshow: Awful airlines
"More cancellations?" responds Kate Hanni, who spearheaded the push for tarmac-delay rules as executive director of FlyersRights.org. "They ought to be looking at how to cancel flights when weather's coming in. They should cancel flights as soon as possible so people's trips aren't ruined."
Of course, the comparative inconvenience of being stuck on a plane for several hours versus delayed for a day or more will always be in the eye of the beholder. "I'm a little claustrophobic and I travel with small kids," says Cohn. "I'm going to want off that plane. But there are also people who are going to say, 'I gotta get home; I don't care how long we sit before we take off.' "
Don't miss these Travel stories
Lords of the gourd compete for Punkin Chunkin honors
With teams using more than 100 unique apparatuses to launch globular projectiles a half-mile or more, the 27th annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin event is our pick as November's Weird Festival of the Month.
- Airports, airlines work hard to return your lost items
- Expert: Tourist hordes threaten Sistine Chapel's art
- MGM Grand wants Las Vegas guests to Stay Well
- Report: Airlines collecting $36.1B in fees this year
- Lords of the gourd compete for Punkin Chunkin honors
All of which suggests that the implementation of the new rule is more of a beginning than an end. There are the logistical issues of getting planes back to gates, especially at crowded airports, and ancillary issues with baggage, security and international flights (which are currently exempt). And, as the Rochester incident clearly demonstrated, communication — between airlines, airports, FAA, TSA and passengers — needs to be greatly improved.
Making change
More changes are almost certainly coming. At this point, DOT is only requiring that airlines have contingency plans in place. But, says DOT spokesman Bill Mosley, "We're considering another rule that would require airlines to submit their plans to the Department for review." The goal, he says, is to issue a proposed rule in June, along with new proposals on better disclosure of baggage fees and total fares. Slideshow: Cartoons: Danger in the air
Additionally, supporters of the long-stalled FAA reauthorization bill believe that legislation, if passed, will provide long-term protection that more easily reversed regulatory rules don't.
In the meantime — and different approaches aside — it should go without saying that nobody likes long delays and everybody agrees the problem has been poorly handled. "There's no doubt that the airlines are sometimes their own worst enemy," says Jenkins. "This has been around for a long time and they should have had rules and protocols in place to handle it."
Rob Lovitt is a frequent contributor to msnbc.com. If you'd like to respond to one of his columns or suggest a story idea, drop him an e-mail.
© 2013 msnbc.com. Reprints


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The American Black Bear is native to New Jersey. Prior to European settlement, black bears lived in forested regions throughout the state. As European settlement progressed, forests were cleared for towns, farming and lumber. Black bears were killed indiscriminately by settlers to protect their crops and livestock. Loss of habitat and indiscriminate killing caused the black bear population to sharply decline throughout the 1800s; by the mid-1900s less than 100 remained and these were restricted to the northern portion of the State (Lund 1980, McConnell et al. 1997.
Black Bear Management and the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy FAQs
In 1953, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council (Council) classified the black bear as a game animal, affording it protection from indiscriminate killing. Limited hunting was legal for black bear until 1971 when the Council, based on an assessment by Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) biologists, closed the hunting season.
Since the late 1970s, the Garden State's black bear population has been increasing and expanding its range from the forested areas of northwestern New Jersey both southward and eastward. The population has grown due to protection afforded by game animal status, increased black bear habitat as agricultural land reverted to mature forests, and bears moving into New Jersey because of increasing bear populations in Pennsylvania and New York. Though most numerous in northwest Jersey, black bears now live throughout the state.
During the last 30 years, the DFW has steadily increased its efforts to responsibly manage our large and expanding black bear population and to be responsive to the increasing conflicts between bears and people. Since Fiscal Year 2001, DFW has spent more than $9 million on black bear management, including $5.5 million of general treasury funds and $3.5 million from the Hunter and Angler Fund and federal grants.
In 2010 the Council drafted a Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy (CBBMP) to guide the future management of New Jersey's black bear population, and the DEP Commissioner has approved the proposed CBBMP. Pursuant to the New Jersey Administrative Procedure Act, there was a 60-day period for the public to comment on the proposed CBBMP following its publication in the NJ Register on April 19, 2010.
Following the public comment period, both the Council and the Commissioner considered the comments that were submitted (pdf, 15kb). The Council approved a final version of the CBBMP at their July 13, 2010, meeting and advanced it to the Commissioner for approval. On July 21, 2010, Commissioner Martin approved the policy which will be adopted as the state's Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy.
Questions and Answers About Black Bear Management and the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy
Q. What is the New Jersey Fish and Game Council and what is its authority?
Q. What is the black bear management strategy contained in the CBBMP?
Q. How many bears are there in New Jersey today and where do they live?
Based on recent (2012) population analysis using tag returns received during the 2011 bear season, the population estimate for the area north of I-80 and west of I-287 was 2,800-3,000 bears prior to the 2011 black bear hunting season. This estimate does not take into account the 2011 harvest or the number of cubs born in January, 2012. A statewide black bear population estimate will require more extensive population research and monitoring of the population south of I-80.
Q. How healthy is New Jersey's black bear population?
Q. How many bear complaints does DFW receive and what kinds of problems are reported?
Q. Why did conflicts with bears increased?
Q. What measures has DFW taken to reduce human-bear conflicts?
Q. How does DFW respond to complaints?
Q. Does aversive conditioning work?
Q. Why does the CBBMP recommend a black bear hunting season?
The Council's recommendation to open the hunting season is based upon DFW data showing the population could support a regulated, recreational hunt and that hunting would help control bear related damage. This data includes the results of regulated black bear hunting seasons in New Jersey in 2003 and 2005, which demonstrated that bears could be harvested safely and showed decreases in bear related complaints and bear population growth subsequent to the 2003 and 2005 hunting seasons.
Q. What about other population control alternatives such as relocation or fertility control?
A scientific review of fertility control concluded it is not a currently feasible population control alternative because approved or effective drugs for bears do not exist at the present time. The CBBMP endorses further research in this area.
Q. Does this mean DFW will rely solely on a hunting season to solve New Jersey's bear problem?
Q. How can I comment on the proposed CBBMP?
Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy


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Vanuatu Overview
Vanuatuvän˝wäto͞o´ [key], officially Republic of Vanuatu, independent republic (2015 est. pop. 265,000), c.5,700 sq mi (14,760 sq km), South Pacific, E of Australia. Vanuatu is a 450-mi (724-km) chain of 80 islands, of which the most important are Espíritu Santo (the largest), Efate, Malakula, Malo, Pentecost, and Tanna. South of Vanuatu and east of New Caledonia are the uninhabited Matthew and Hunter islands, which are claimed by both. The capital, Port Vila, is on Efate. Vanuatu's islands are forested and mountainous, formed by volcanic eruptions (and still subject to them). The highest peak (c.6,195 ft/1,890 m) is on Espiritu Santo.
Sections in this article:
- Introduction
- People, Economy, and Government
- History
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Pacific Islands Political Geography


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This morning before my daughters headed off to school I had to sit them down and tell them about an unimaginable tragedy that had happened yesterday in our NYC neighborhood. Two children were allegedly stabbed to death by their nanny, and one of those children was a student at their school. Knowing that there could be reporters outside the school, and that they would be hearing about it from other kids and teachers, I wanted them to hear it from me first.
As a parent, what happened is beyond comprehension, and when I found out last night that this was a family in our school it made it that much more real. This wasn't a head line, this was something that happened in our community. It's hard for people to understand that in a huge city like New York small ties bind residents, and nowhere is that more true than at school. As we gear up for the first big fundraiser of the year, a huge festival of Halloween fun for families that relies on over 200 volunteers to make happen, there is now an unmistakable sadness that will permeate this kid-centric event. And most likely we will be having discussions today as to whether or not to even hold the event.
When I told my daughters about the tragedy I wasn't sure how they would process the news. They are ten, the "seniors" of their elementary school. They feel protective of the younger students, take huge delight in having kindergarten book buddies that they read to once a week, and take pride in having new responsibilities as 5th graders. What happened yesterday goes against everything a child is taught – that their parents would only leave with them in safe hands, that your home is a place of security.
But, at ten they are old enough to start to understand that random and sometimes horrible things do happen. That you have to be grateful for the good, and not take your loved ones for granted. It's not an easy lesson to learn for anyone, let alone kids. As a parent I can't begin to imagine how those parents will recover from the horrible loss of two of their children. And, as a mom I struggle with how to explain the unexplainable, but also know that now that my daughters are on the verge of middle school their awareness of the random cruelty and violence in the world around them is only going to increase.
While their school brings in counselors and deals with the difficult job of trying to make things as normal as possible, I know that my girls are going to have endless questions here at home over the next few weeks. There will never be a way to answer them. Maybe that's the first real part of growing up – knowing some questions don't have answers, that you have to accept that and still keep your heart and mind open, and live your life with hope and optimism.


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Emergency Care 24 Hours A Day, 7 Days A Week, 365 Days A Year
Commemorative Book
(click here)
Call 911 if you have a medical emergency.
Poison Control:
UPMC Chautauqua WCA Emergency Department
(716) 664-8120
Hours: Open 24/7
Location: 1st Floor, rear of main hospital. Entrance off Prather Avenue
Parking: Adjacent from Emergency Department Entrance
The new Emergency Department features:
- A 18,000-square-foot Emergency Department.
- Large sunlit waiting areas, adorned with commissioned art work from local artists which celebrate the history and natural surroundings of our region.
- Mobile bedside registration.
- Fast-Track service for minor emergencies and illnesses.
- 28 private patient treatment areas and two triage rooms, with sliding glass doors and curtains for privacy.
- Specialty treatment areas including, Trauma/Resuscitation Rooms, Bariatric Patient Treatment Room, Behavioral Health Suite, and private Consult/Bereavement Rooms.
- Centralized nurse stations
- Laboratory services
- Patient nutrition stations
- Physician dictation stations
- Isolation room in which to evaluate patients with potential airborne infectious diseases.
- Decontamination suite for patients who have been exposed to biological, chemical and radiological agents.
- Emergency monitoring technology, including 32 wall-mounted LED-backlit LCD televisions, 50 wide screen flat panel LED monitors, tracking board monitors, and a security system featuring a DVR, cameras, and monitors.
From cuts and sprains to life-threatening emergencies, the UPMC Chautauqua Emergency Department is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Staffed by a team of board certified physicians, led by Michael Faulk, M.D., board-certified in emergency medicine, Medical Director of Emergency Department, alongside a team of 75 doctors, nurses and staff that are specially trained and certified in emergency medicine, the new Emergency Department is here for your emergency needs 24 hours a day.
A New Model of Care
The goal of the new state-of-the-art Emergency Department is to deliver the best emergency experience possible in the shortest period of time. Every consideration was given to create a calming environment as well as providing the technology and space that our emergency team needs to work efficiently and effectively. The new Emergency Department provides comfortable, first-class accommodations for patients and families from the front door to the bedside. Not only will patients and their families experience a new state-of-the-art facility, but they will benefit from improved patient experience of care and communications.
Sharing the Gift of Health
Our UPMC Chautauqua Family, charitable foundations, businesses, organizations, and individuals from Jamestown and the surrounding communities have donated generously to support the construction of the new Emergency Department at UPMC Chautauqua. The UPMC Chautauqua Family extends special thanks to all of the kind-hearted charitable community, employees, physicians, and volunteers who have made our dream a reality.
UPMC Chautauqua's 21st Century Emergency Department is now complete. To date, UPMC Chautauqua has raised nearly 90% mark by securing $14.7 million toward the $16.5 million capital campaign goal and is accepting gifts and pledges payable through 2013. To make a gift to support Sharing the Gift of Health: The Capital Campaign for Our Emergency Department, please contact Megan D'Angelo at 716-664-8423 or visit www.wcahospital.org.


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The Los Angeles Dodgers today placed infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to May 6) with a left groin strain and recalled infielder/outfielder Elian Herrera from Triple-A Albuquerque. Herrera was batting .250 with four doubles, two homers and 16 RBI in 27 games with the Isotopes, but has hit safely in seven of his last eight games (.306, 2 HR, 5 RBI). The 28-year-old batted .251 with a home run and 17 RBI in 67 games with the Dodgers last season, while appearing in games at second base (13 G), third base (20 G), shortstop (2 G), left field (22 G), center field (9 G) and right field (7 G) in his first Major League experience.
Hairston was batting .255 with a home run and five RBI in 20 games this year in his second season with the Dodgers.


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Discussion and help regarding all picture framing equipment, computer issues, POS software, CMC, SEO, shop lighting, phones, internet, alarms, security, cctv, compressors, vnailers, cutters, saws, etc.
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Baja 5B/Rear/Need Fill Oil
Genuine HPI quality spare part for easy maintenance and repairs. A fully built pair of rear shocks for the Baja 5B. Featuring externally adjustable pistons, threaded shock body for infinitely adjustable ride height, purple anodized aluminium shock caps and spring collars, and competition-tuned dual-rate springs, these are the original (OEM) rear shocks for the Baja 5B. #Z182 shock oil is necessary to fill the shocks.


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During more than a decade of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. military chaplains often found themselves caught between heaven and hell: one moment leading a prayer service, the next dodging enemy fire to be at the side of a dying soldier.
From loss, grief and post-traumatic stress to plain old holiday blues, combat chaplains have seen it all in responding to calls for help from soldiers struggling with issues of faith and doubt, life and death.
Now, with the U.S. out of Iraq, operations winding down in Afghanistan and military spending under budget-cutting pressure, the Army is calling on Central Florida's computer-simulation training industry to create new "virtual" exercises for chaplains -- at a bargain price.
By all accounts, it is the first time the local training-simulation industry has tackled the sometimes thorny issue of war and faith. Considered the country's largest cluster of military-training contractors, the local industry is known more for high-tech weapons simulators than for counseling simulations -- much less religious ones.
Yet training-simulation engineers in Orlando are now crafting "serious-game" software to lead chaplains through a "virtual battlefield" in which they respond to injured and dying soldiers. Dubbed the "Spiritual Triage Trainer," it is based on a combat-medic training simulator that the Army has been using for the past several years.
"The Army's chaplain school really doesn't have a budget for these kinds of things, so we were looking for something we already have that we could reuse," said Beth Pettit, chief of medical-simulation training at the U.S. Army Research Lab's simulation-technology center in Orlando. "We saw this as low-hanging fruit: a low-cost system that could be turned around relatively quickly."
Some of the region's military-training companies have been branching out in recent years to develop applications in related areas such as health care and medicine, emergency preparedness and law enforcement.
Battlefield medicine, for example, has become a multimillion-dollar business for Orlando-based Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc., which is working with the Army to develop the new chaplain-training simulations. ECS created the combat-medic program that underlies much of the chaplain program's technical coding.
ECS recently received an Army research contract worth about $100,000 to develop a prototype of the chaplain trainer. Initially, at least, it's a thrifty deal for the Army, because the cost is about one-third that of a typical research contract, according to ECS. And that's because much of the technology involved is already available in the combat-medic system, officials said.
"The chaplain's school liked what they saw in our medic trainer, and we agreed to work with them to re-create those same kind of scenarios in the chaplain system," said Brent Smith, ECS chief technology officer. "We figured out pretty quickly it wouldn't be too difficult to 're-skin' the medic figure to reflect the uniform of the chaplain and chaplain's assistant."
After that basic reconfiguring, however, the task becomes much more complex, as engineers create the dialogue and other interactive elements needed in the training scenarios, he said. The prototype will also be set up in such a way that it can be used by chaplains of any religious faith, Smith said.
"The chaplains call it 'spiritual triage' -- and much like the medics treat physical wounds, this is designed to help Protestant ministers, rabbis, imams, priests and other chaplains respond to the spiritual needs on the battlefield," he said.
The prototype, which ECS is expected to deliver in mid-2013, will be used to enhance chaplains' classroom training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, said Bill Pike, manager of science and technology at the Army Research Lab's Orlando unit. If the system passes its performance tests at the Army Chaplain School there, a full-production contract could follow, he said.
"In a typical triage situation, while medics help those who can be saved, the chaplain is more than likely dealing with those who won't live," Pike said. "Some of these scenarios will be very difficult for the chaplains, like dealing with someone from another faith, or no faith at all. We could ratchet it up even more by introducing a noncombatant of an entirely different faith and culture. With simulation, there are a lot of things you can do that are very difficult to do in real-world training."
It is not surprising that the Army is looking at the potential benefits of training simulations for chaplains, given the budget pressures the military now faces, said Capt. Lance Sellon, a Methodist minister in Jacksonville and an Army chaplain in the National Guard's 124th Infantry Regiment, based in Orlando.
At the same time, the Army has to be careful to maintain some sort of balance in its training methods, he said.
"Obviously, a simulator can't replicate wearing body armor and running around with 40 pounds of gear, having just done a 50-yard sprint from one wounded soldier to another, being out of breath and under great stress," Sellon said.
"But I think there's undoubtedly cognitive benefits from using a simulator," he added. "I'm able to go through the process, find solutions, establish protocols in my mind that I can use when I encounter them in the real world."


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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Chicken and dumplings from Cook's Illustrated
13 comments:
Mmmm, my husband and I love chicken and dumplings too. This looks heavenly.ReplyDelete
Yum! I love Cooks Illustrated and have been eying that recipe. Now I'll definitely have to try it.ReplyDelete
- Carin3:25 PM
Do you have any idea how these would be as a substitute for matzo balls? I have yet to succeed in finding a gf matzo ball recipe that's good.ReplyDelete
Haha, I was just looking through my recipes for a good chicken and dumplings recipe for dinner tomorrow! I'm all over this one :)ReplyDelete
I love getting free magazines from work, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who takes forever to get through them all. Right now I have a huge stack sitting on my dryer.
I have to make this... my mom made chicken and dumplings all the time when I was growing up SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!! I can't wait to try your Gf dumplings! yum!ReplyDelete
I saw this recipe and have wanted to GF it; thanks for doing it for me. :) This looks luscious.ReplyDelete
- Carin9:16 AM
This was really delicious. I think the dumplings might even work as a matzo ball substitute, at least for people who eat rice on Passover.ReplyDelete
Thanks again for the recipe!
It was hard for me not to finish making it tonight it looked and smelled so good! My wife is having surgery (thyroid removal) Wednesday and requested something basic to eat the night before, so I thought this would be a good match, yet tasty, since she'll be on hospital food for a few days.ReplyDelete
I've never tried Chicken and Dumplings before but the recipe in the magazine was calling my name! I'm glad others approve, and thanks for the tips.
Best Regards,
I used GF mix (Bette Hagman) instead of rice flour and an egg instead of an egg while. OMG - the most tender dumplings I've had in my life, and only the second time I've tried GF dumplings.ReplyDelete
We can recreate most everything if we don't give up. Thanks ever so much (I made vegetarian stew with dumplings) the whole meal was fantastic!
- Sharon6:35 PM
Made your dumplings and they turned out just like the ones I used to make in my gluten days, years ago. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us. You have many more I will try. My husband really like them too, and he isn't gluten free. You are a god send to us who have to be gluten free. Bless You!ReplyDelete
I really want to try this...I loveee chicken n' dumplings and have mourned the loss of them since going gluten free. This looks so delicious though. Wish I had a bowl right now!ReplyDelete


text: A Hanselman Review: Doom 3 vs. FarCry vs. Half-Life 2 vs. Halo 2 November 22, '04 Comments [14] Posted in Reviews | PowerShell | Nant | Movies | Gaming | Bugs Sponsored By Believe it or not, I'm not a big gamer. By 'not a big gamer' I mean, I didn't take a week off work to play GTA: San Andreas as a co-worker did. By 'not a big gamer' I mean, I lost interest with Ninja Gaiden because it was too freaking hard. I've got about 2 hours patience with a game, but I stop when I start to hurt, be it hands, back or head. That said, you'd think I was a gamer as in the last two months I've picked up Doom 3, FarCry, Half-Life 2, and Halo 2. These games, unquestionably, represent the pinnacle - thus far - of FPS-style gaming. The first three are PC while Halo 2 is on XBox. I'm playing the PC games on a P4-4Ghz with a gig of Ram and an ATI Radeon 9600 Pro. There's been a million reviews of all these games from AnandTech-type reviews that tell you how much internal processor cache you must have to enjoy these games, to TomsHardware-type reviews that are meant to sell $500 video cards with heat sinks and fans of their own, to 12-year old blogger/reviewers who let you know about the latest mods and cheats so they can embarrass my 30-year old ass on multi-player maps. (You'll be happy to hear that I (and my ego) no longer need to defeat these infidels to feel secure. I just cry tiny tears and leave it at that.) That said, I wanted to write up what I thought was important about these games, and what drives my opinion and buying decisions around gaming. These categories may be slightly different than the typical review. Or not. Story Game My Thoughts Doom 3 While Doom 3 tries harder than it's predecessors, there's little story to speak of. Some crazy stuff happens on Mars and you're a Mars Marine who has to single-handedly kill everyone. There are some interactions with other characters but it's largely as you stumble upon them doing something else, and you can't assist them. They are usually killed as you walk away. The "scripting" feels a little stilted to me. There are a few clever places where the camera backs out of your first-person view into a third person view when you "trigger" an event. Perhaps a monster is making in entrance. Then the camera pushes in to the back of your head and control returns to you to take care of business. It's fairly predictable as you can "feel" when it should happen. FarCry You'll notice a pattern here as "single-handedly" is pretty common in the FPS space. In FarCry, you're on vacation when your wife is kidnapped and you are unwittingly and unwillingly pulled into a terrorist plot to do some crazy stuff. You have to single-handedly kill everyone. Every once in a while, a benefactor in the form of a scientist on the project meets up with you to help out. Half-Life 2 The original Half-Life set a whole new level for story quality and I believe Half-Life 2 is even more extraordinary. There is constant interaction with the NPCs and a real sense of total immersion that I honestly haven't felt since "Bard's Tale." There's many places where you find your self asking "what's the story here? There's something I'm not seeing or being told." That sense of curiosity continues to push you forward through the narrative. It's also worth noting that the realism in the faces and expressions of the characters is truly amazing and really underscores the uniqueness of people. Rather than dozens of carbon copy NPCs, each character is totally unique and could be recognized in a crowd later. "Oh! It's this guy again" happens a lot. Additionally since the "action button" doubles as the pick-stuff-up-and-optionally-throw-it button, there are a number of things you can do to interact with the environment. I'd say that Half-Life 2 has the most interactive world of any game I've played. You can blow up anything, stack objects, throw objects, flip over tables and hide behind them, toss TVs out windows, and break things with your crowbar. I was impressed with the attention to detail yesterday when I broke a window with the crowbar, expecting the whole window to break out, and instead, as it was safety glass, the window shatter, but stayed together, and I had to clear it out with additionally specifically-placed blows. This level of detail means that things in Half-Life 2 work as they should (as they do in the real world) so rather than learning the physics of the Half-Life world, you can use your knowledge of the real world in this artificial one. This increases the overall enjoyment of the game greatly. Halo 2 Halo 2's single player story is even more compelling than the others as there are extensive movie-like cut scenes of some length that explain the context of the larger story. Additionally you will end up playing as more than one character later in the game which deepens your involvement and causes you to wonder who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, and gives the game less of an "us vs. them" narrative and more of a "us vs. them and them vs. three or four other folks." Puzzles Game My Thoughts Doom 3 Most of the puzzles in Doom 3 are pretty stock and fairly lame. Find this key from that guy's body. Open that door. Find this code from this guys personal log. Open that door. Only once (so far) is there a "move this barrel" puzzle and then it's just to throw them in the trash. Mostly it's just shoot folks. There's not a lot of platform jumping, just moving from door to door, ammo cache to ammo cache. The puzzle aspect of killing is limited. Mostly zombies lunge and beasts run at you. There's no puzzle-strategy on how to kill them - circle-strafe, rinse, repeat. Doom 3 has great object physics, but not nearly enough objects available to show it all. When you go to Hell later in the game, it's just red-red-red and there's even less to interact with. FarCry FarCry is also not big on puzzles. There are a number of doors to open and forts to blow up. This is a much more tactical game - the "puzzle" factor is more "how do I kill as many of them before they realize there's just one of me." Sound (your footsteps) and light (your shadow) play a big part as you try to take out entire enclaves with limited ammo. The FarCry enemy AI is also top-notch and the best of the four games. The enemies will call for help, run away, panic, berzerk, hide, sneak and more. This makes you feel like you're fighting another intelligence. The physics model is without par, but none of the puzzles use it. There are a number of single-player downloadable maps that are specifically designed to show off the physics by causing things like chain-reaction blowing up of barrels, but I wish that kind of stuff was in the game more. Half-Life 2 The puzzles in Half-Life 2 are a freakin' blast. Most are physics-based which is great considering that I dig physics, and the physics engine within the game is fantastic. You'll find creative ways to raise water levels, set up ramps, remember that different objects have decidedly different weight, including your own body. There are gravity puzzles, water puzzles, 'how do I get up there' puzzles. Additionally you are, more often than not, presented with more than one way to solve the puzzle, but often only one solution is possible. Afterwards you'll find yourself saying, "oh, I can totally see where I took a wrong turn on that one." Halo 2 Halo 2 is a little weak on puzzles. Again, it's more tactical. Some fights you can bow out of by letting the fighting factions beat themselves up. Each enemy has a weakness or weapon they are the most vulnerable to, so there's a lot of rock-paper-scissors choosing of weapons. Most puzzles involve killing something then finding a button to open a door or move an object. Since your own interaction with the world is the "action" button, and that button can only "do stuff," you can only perform actions that an object is scripted to know. Vehicles Game My Thoughts Doom 3 No vehicles in the shipped game. Lame. However, just days ago vehicle support was added to the Mod SDK which means total-conversion mods could utilize vehicles soon. FarCry The vehicles in FarCry are wide ranging, from a blow-up boat, to a hang-glider, to buggies and jeeps. There are number of times when you have to make smart use of a vehicle or its weaponry to solve a task. FarCry and Halo 2 are just about equal when it comes to coolness of vehicles, but Halo 2 gets the nod for including "jacking" of vehicles. Half-Life 2 The "water hazard" sequence in Half-Life 2 is bar-none the most extraordinary experience I've ever had playing a single player FPS. It alone makes the game worth the price. Half-Life's vehicle use is great, and the immense size of the vehicles and beasts that the enemy uses is also awe-inspiring, especially the Striders. Halo 2 Halo 2 improves on Halo's use of vehicles which was already outstanding. Halo 2 adds the ability to "jack" a vehicle. With good timing you can jump onto an enemy vehicle and yank the driver out, throwing them from the cockpit. You then take over driving and, well, kill them all. There are also some immense non-drivable vehicles that you have to jump on top off from a bridge and destroy from the inside. Also, the vehicle sizes far greatly from tanks to small "ghosts" which dramatically changes the feel of the game during these sequences. The tank sequences are especially powerful and satisfying. Graphics Game My Thoughts Doom 3 Touted as the graphics to end all graphics, Doom 3 is pretty snazzy. However, it's dark. Frankly I found myself thinking "are the graphics really all that good or are they justing being smart with shadows." The objects are gorgeous, as are the player models, and the use of light (what light there is) is a amazing. Everything casts a realistic shadow and the reflections and use of glass is amazing. It's just so damn dark. Additionally, the graphics are repetitive. When you've see one lonely Mars base level you've seen them all. OK, I get it. Doesn't the Sun come out on Mars? FYI: I play Doom 3 at 1280x1024x32 with 2x Anti-AliASINg. [Example Image] FarCry I play FarCry at 1600x1200x32 with no Anti-AliASINg and it's amazing. The FarCry environment is largely outside on a tropical island. The organic aspect of the island is well represented with their graphics engine, with the grass and trees standing out particularly well. The use of wind and sound along with swaying grass and foliage is strong in the jungle scenes. However, when you start your way into the caves and start fighting monsters, it gets too dark and too much like Doom 3. Frankly, I played FarCry religiously for days until I got to the dark monster stuff, and just got disinterested. I'd go back and play the game from the start up through, and until, the monster levels. Make sure your resolution is as high as your card will support, it's worth losing a few frames a second to get a glimpse at the incredibly long draw-depth. FarCry boasts a draw-depth (the distances at which objects in the environment aren't rendered anymore) as much as a full kilometer. The levels in FarCry are MASSIVE - as much as 4 kilometers square. The engine really shines when you are at the top of the island with a sniper rifle. The binoculars are a thrill to use to spy on the enemy at long distances. [Example Image] Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 blew me away. As much as Doom 3 floored me, Half-Life 2 crushed Doom 3. Argue polygons and detail and lighting and whatever all you want, but when Half-Life 2 renders an entire living city-scape with clotheslines and giant propaganda-filled TV overloading city squares, and waterways filled with floating plastic bottles (that you can interact with) the 10x10 corridors and mazes that Doom 3 has me running around in just can't compete. Additionally the face and character modeling is without par. Half-Life 2 has restored my faith in PC gaming. [Example Image] Halo 2 The Halo graphics engine has been completely re-written between Halo 1 and Halo 2. It appears to be a progressive rendering image that drops textures and polygon count when frame rate might suffer. For example, when a level loads, it loads immediately, but you can see far-away textures load last and cover over low-res images and low polygon count buildings. You can still move around during these times, and it rarely lasts more than second, but I thought it was of note. Additionally as you move away from, say a dead body on the ground that is not longer of interest, there is a "popout" (my word) effect as the game dramatically and quickly lowers the polygon count (or swaps the model) for that entity, presumably to open up processing power for more important objects. I personally find this effect distracting and obvious, but no one else I've mentioned it to seems to care. During a slow moment, look at any object and walk slowly towards it and then away from it as far as you can. You'll be able to count at least THREE, possibly FOUR separate models or "steps" that the object will go through. Again, I'm assuming that since the XBox is nearly three-year-old technology running an NVidia nForce derived card that this software technique opened up processing headroom for normal mapping. To be clear, the graphics in Halo 2 are the greatest graphics I've ever seen from a console, and certainly make standard TV shine. (Halo 2 also shines at 480p on a HDTV but 480 horizontal lines is the max, and equivalent to 640x480 or 720x480 resolution) However, it can't compete with a 19" LCD at 1600x1200 running Half-Life 2. [Example Image] Level Design Game My Thoughts Doom 3 I found the level design in Doom 3 to be fairly pedestrian. I mean pedestrian in both meanings. It's combines the excitement (not) of overly-symmetrical design with the thrill (not) of constantly being on-foot, not to mention having to back-track to retrieve keys and widgets you may have missed. The levels tend to be named Alpha Lab 1, which isn't a bad name until you've been playing for hours and the next level is Alpha Lab 7. OK, I get it. Can I get to the freakin' Beta lab? Ah, steel walls with no lights. We've made it to Mars, but didn't bring backup batteries? Flares? A friggin' glowstick? But, I digress. Every once in a while you get to leave the lab for the Martian landscape, but you consistently don't bring an air pack or helmet so you only get to enjoy the scenery for 20 seconds before your brain explodes. You have to run as fast as you can to the other airlock. Again, we knew we were coming to Mars. Perhaps a breezeway would have been a nice architectural touch? Just a though. FarCry Levels in FarCry are many and varied. The game is huge, and while most of it happens on a remote tropical island, the design makes good use of caves, mountain trails, forts, underwater and boat approaches, as well as the best level that includes a giant abandoned tanker (I thought this level was reminiscent of The Goonies. Go figure.) culminating in a huge fire-fight on the top that includes helicopters and guys on turrets. And me with a single Uzi. That was a tough one. As you move deeper there are levels in underground caves, high in the trees (ala Ewok village) and reinforced concrete forts. If it wasn't for those darn monsters, I would have loved it all the way through. I just don't feel the need to put genetically-modified mutant creatures in every single game. Half-Life 2 That said, Half-Life 2 is all about mutant creatures (from another dimension?) but the Level Design is perfect. You have to think though, when moving around these levels. While the gameplay is pretty linear, there are many back roads and alleys that should be explored, not only get to useful plot points, but to avoid running out of health. There's little backtracking, but when there is, you'll often find different things and people when you return to a previous location. I got nailed a couple of times assuming that I'd cleared an area, when of course, in a realistic simulation, the cops would come to check out the commotion and might be waiting for my return. There is an uncomfortable break in the action as you move from level to level. It presents itself as a mandatory pause with a -loading- sign. After 20 seconds the game continues. I wish they'd have been loading these levels in a background thread as Halo 2 does. Otherwise, Half-Life 2 is the closest thing I've experienced to total immersion in a game. You are truly "playing a movie." I feel that the total lack of cut-scenes increases this sense of immersion. Instead the scripted encounters take the place of cut-scenes and you always have control over your character's movement. Halo 2 Halo 2 level design is, as usual, stunning. It's a little two symmetrical and repetitive, IMHO, when you encounter the Covenant and enter their domain. However, the early city levels are massive. Another important note about levels - in Halo 2 there isn't the sense of a distinct "level," as there are "scenes." There is no loading pause to speak of as you move from location to location. You'd think at this level of the development of games as a media, the publishers would realize that we don't like waiting for levels to load. If you know the game is linear, then you know what the next level is. For Pete's sake, preload it as I'm moving towards it! It's not like I'm moving towards another level. Halo 2 takes this Common Sense to heart and gives you a completely seamless experience. Multiplayer Game My Thoughts Doom 3 Doom 3 only supports up to 4 players at a time to play multiplayer. In my mind, this is hardly multiplayer. If I want to play an FPS with strangers, I'd rather it be a free-for-all 16 player war than just 3 other schleps. There are hacks and mods to allow for more players, but this was a surprising message for ID to be sending the public about their flagship product. Doom 3 is clearly meant to be a single player game. FarCry FarCry has a very active multiplayer map community and there are literally scores of maps available. The interface is slightly less friendly than Counter-Strike, and certainly not as flexible as Halo 2, but still a strong multi-player contender, and the winner for massively-sized maps. Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 is officially a single player game. It does ship with multiplayer maps, but as has been the tradition since Counter-Strike (a total conversion Half-Life 1 mod), the engine is meant to be reused for multiplayer. That said, when you buy Half-Life 2 via Steam, you get the full version of Counter-Strike: Source, which is newer port of the anti-terrorist classic Counter-Strike using the new "Source" Graphics Engine used in Half-Life 2. This game is a blast and includes lots of maps, weapons and VoIP trash talking. Halo 2 Halo 2 along with XBox Live redefines ease-of-use with its multiplayer. There are Parties, Clans, Rumbles, Giant Fights, Little Fights and in-between. You can use any of their dozen included game variants with complete control over allowed weapons, rules, etc. You can also create named-variants of your own games. Every single game played is stored and can be accessed via Bungie.Net or RSS Feeds. Additionally, everyone who has XBox Live has an XBox Communicator Microphone and broadband (required) so the sense of multi-player community is heightened by both proximity-based communication (whoever is nearby can hear you) and push-to-talk walkie-talkie communication (press a button and talk through your helmet to your team). The XBox has really improved multiplayer gaming with the inclusion of microphones in a way that is possible, but still a hassle, on the PC. Patch-ability/Maintain-ability Game My Thoughts Doom 3 There's an Update button within Doom 3, but it didn't tell me I needed to update even though an update was clearly available not sure what's up with that. Additionally, when I did update, the new update wouldn't allow me to use my own save games from where they were saved. Instead I had to start that level over from the beginning. I'm sure there was a technical reason why this had to happen, but it was LAME. FarCry FarCry has had some patching troubles with an abortive attempt at a Patch version 1.2 that was yanked the following day (not after I and many others installed it.) Version 1.3 took months to be released. There's no patch notification service so I have to poll for patches, and they are installed via InstallShield. Fairly typical, certainly not revolutionary, and one of the lame things about PC gaming. I also had to start a level over due to file version incompatibilities. Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 uses a unique game-delivery system called Steam. I payed $70 and received not only Half-Life 2, but also the original Half-Life, Counter Strike:Source, and 10 additional games like Day Of Defeat and Team Fortress. All delivered over Steam. I can even play them on my laptop just by installing Steam and logging in. All the patches are automatically installed on startup. Some folks complain that you have to be online to get your purchase authenticated, but that hasn't been a problem for me, and I was totally impressed as the multi-gigabyte Half-Life 2 purchase was slowly pre-loaded onto my machine weeks before the game was released. The entire purchase and experience was online. No box, no problems. I was throughly impressed with the process. Steam also checks the version of your Video Card Driver and points you to the correct download page to get the latest version. Why doesn't Windows Update open their API to do that for the OEMs? Halo 2 Surprisingly patching XBox Live is not a seamless as Half-Life 2/Steam. With Steam, you don't have to do a single thing. With the XBox you are informed there is a required updated and have to press one button. Considering that I don't have a choice, why not just install it silently? That said, every update experience (what few there are) I've had with the Xbox has been butter. You just hit "A" and get on with it. One of the nice things about Console Gaming, but as has been proven with Steam, a good experience is equally possible with the PC. Conclusion Hanselman Rank Game My Thoughts 1 Half-Life 2 Great graphics, great puzzles, great story, great feel, great experience. Steam rocks with auto-updates and patching. My favorite and the ultimate FPS PC game so far. 2 Halo 2 Unparalleled totally seamless multiplayer with up to 16 folks trash talking simultaneously, a dozen variations, best graphics on a console, no patching, no worries, downloadable levels and unbelievable statistical database. 3 FarCry If you want to fight on a tropical island with hundreds of terrorists, this is a winner. Also has easy multiplayer with massive maps and dozens more to download. Also the total-conversion mod community is large and we will likely see the next big mod come from this group for this game. 4 Doom 3 Only 4 players in multiplayer? Oy. Too dark, too scary, a real disappointment. Amazing sound, truly, but otherwise I just don't have the patience or stomach for the repetition. « The Daily Brain Fart - LastIndexOf broke... | Blog Home | Setting the Title of the "DOS" Command P... » About Scott Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author. About Newsletter Sponsored By Hosting By Comments [14] Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or use the Permalink


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CurT@!n$ - Night Of The Living Dope (Johnny's Revenge)
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And the new month is upon us and we already have a new book trailer for one of the May releases to keep us excited!
And another month has arrived, bringing with it more new releases, including one debut author and one re-issue… Let the book-buying begin!
1) Out May 3 *Book One of Ladies in Waiting series*
Lady Cecily Francis is resigned to become the wife of Lord Drury, the man she suspects her sister is pining for. But upon her first scandalous encounter with the exotic Earl of Augustine–the American everyone is whispering about–Cecily is intrigued by the possibility of a more exciting life. If only she could contrive some way to marry the unconventional earl instead…
Around town he's known as Earl Savage. Although he inherited his title legitimately–and with it the responsibility for his three half-sisters–Augustine is half American and part Iroquois. He can't wait to settle his father's estate, marry his sisters off, and return to his native soil. Until charming Lady Cecily has him considering a prolonged stay in England…
Click cover for excerpt and more details
2) Out May 3
She is difficult, demanding, and at times, quite fierce. And Dr. John Blackmore can't take his eyes off her. The Countess of Randolph is the most striking woman he has ever seen…and the most infuriating patient he has ever tended.
Mired in responsibility, Bathsheba doesn't have time to convalesce in the country. She should be in London, hunting for a wealthy new lover to pay off her late husband's vast debts, not dallying with a devastatingly handsome doctor.
But it is only a matter of time until the good doctor and the obstinate countess will have to contend with the sparks that fly between them. Once their bodies surrender, their hearts may follow…
Click cover for excerpt and more details
3) Out May 3
Jason Cummings, Duke of Rayne is feeling the weight of his responsibilities – one of which is to get married. Being the most sought after bachelor in London can be trying, so who can blame him if he seeks refuge from the voracious hordes of young debutantes at the decidedly female-free Historical Society? Female-free, that is, until Winnifred Crane marches up to the door, demanding entrance.
Despite her prowess as a historian, Winn is denied membership to the Society. So she daringly offers an unusual bargain: if she can prove the authenticity of a certain painting, she'll be granted recognition, fame, and respect. But to do that, she must go abroad. And to go abroad, she must have an escort, even a stubbornly unwilling one…
Jason has no desire to accompany Winn on her adventure across Europe, but even he is not immune to Winn's passion for her profession. As the journey proves more difficult than planned, they must work together to stay one step ahead of their rivals… and the closer they get to the proof Winn seeks, the closer she and Jason become. But as their adventure turns dangerous, can Jason keep this headstrong bluestocking safe? And what will become of their growing bond when the adventure ends?
Click cover for excerpt and more details
4) Out May 23 *Book Three in Wellingham series*
As the third brother in the Wellingham series Cristo is a dark, dangerous and lonely character. When Lady Eleanor Bracewell-Lowen is deposited without clothes on his bed in a Paris Chateau his whole world changes…
Click cover for excerpt
5) Out May 24 *DEBUT SERIES-BOOK ONE IN REGENCY ROGUES SERIES*
Lord William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont, is a wicked rake with little regard for society—a most unlikely suitor for the prim and proper Lady Lucinda Gray. But his latest assignment for the Young Corinthians, an elite spy organization, involves protecting her from a kidnapping plot and to do this, the notorious "Iron Will" must get close to Lucinda, and convince her that he's a man worthy of her attention. It is a simple enough task to use his devilish charm to seduce her, but William never would have guessed that he'd become enthralled by the lovely Lady Grey—or that he'd lose his own heart in the bargain.
Beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Lucinda has managed to gracefully sidestep even the most persistent suitors. Until the Duke of Clairemont, that is. His rugged features, sinfully sensuous mouth, and piercing eyes are as alluring as the champion thoroughbred he tantalizingly offers in exchange for the honor of courting her, and she finds it hard to resist either temptation. The feelings he stirs in her both excite and arouse, urging her on despite the very real danger he represents. But when the truth is revealed, will Lucinda risk her heart and her life for a chance at everlasting love?
Click cover for excerpt and more info
6) Out May 24
From the moment Abby meets her new employer—the mysterious, brooding Earl of Brendall—she is appalled by his brutish manner…and even moreso by her own attraction to him. Has she lost her senses? As a governess, Abby has no choice but to play by the rules. But as a woman, she cannot deny the fiery sensations he ignites—or the fantasies he inspires…
From the moment Elliott lays eyes on his new young governess, he knows he's in trouble. Abby is intelligent, defiant, and utterly captivating, though Elliott must do his very best to resist her. But as the two grow closer, the passion burns hotter. Soon, the only thing that can destroy their love is the darkest secret of his past—and the secret desires of a governess…
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7) Out May 24 *RE-ISSUE* (Two books in one)
Hired to serve as nursemaid to the wounded Duke of Tresham, Jane Ingleby tries to pretend it's strictly a business arrangement. Surely there could be nothing more perilous than being the lover of such a man. Yet when she gets past his devilish façade and sees the noble heart within, she knows the greatest jeopardy of all—a passion that drives her to risk everything on one perfect month with an improper gentleman who thinks that love is for fools.
Lord Ferdinand Dudley is accustomed to getting what he wants—until he tries to claim his rightful estate from the bewitching Lady Viola Thornhill. Refusing to cede him the home she calls her own—and unwilling to consider marriage—Viola knows that this is a battle she cannot afford to lose. Each day under the same roof brings its share of frustration—and temptation—as both sides in this contest of wills find their resolve melting in the heat of passion's bright flame.
Click cover for excerpt and more info
8 ) Out May 31 *Book One in Smythe-Smith Quartet*
Honoria Smythe-Smith is:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child
C) not in love with her older brother's best friend
D) all of the above
Marcus Holroyd is:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) not in love with his best friend's younger sister
D) all of the above
Together they:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever and the world's worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love
It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is . . .
D) all of the above
Click cover for excerpt and more info
9) Out May 31 *Book Three in Standon widows series*
A diplomat and a spy, the dashing Lord Langley is happy to be home after years spent abroad, though less so to discover the ladies he so callously loved and left have been anxiously awaiting his return. Hoping to put his checkered past – and his persistent ex-lovers – behind him, he proposes to staid, serious Minerva Sterling . . . and maneuvers her into a compromising position to ensure her assent.
At the brazen rake's mercy – since anything less than a wedding and her reputation is destroyed – Minerva agrees, but only under strict conditions: no more attempted seductions, no kisses or scandalous behavior. But Langley's a man ruled by passion – especially when he realizes how fiercely he burns for his reluctant intended . . . and how willing he is to risk life itself to truly win her heart.
Click cover for excerpt and more info
10) Out May 31 *Book One in The Lords of Sheffield Square series*
Claire Ashcroft has good reason to despise Viscount Grayson Sutherland—and not because of his arrogance, charm, and irresistible allure. A wildly unpredictable man with a frightening reputation, Sutherland is responsible for the death of someone Claire loved deeply. She'd kill him if the could. Instead, she'll employ her feminine wiles to make him pay. And once he's deeply, irreversibly in love with her, she'll shatter his vulnerable heart and leave him broken. Her scheme works perfectly… too perfectly.
For who would have imagined that beneath Sutherland's dangerous exterior was a lost man haunted by his sins?
Or that one night in his arms would ignite a scandal so dire she'd be forced to wed the handsome blackguard?
Or that she'd find herself helpless, falling under the spell of the very rogue she means to destroy?
Click cover for excerpt and more info
11) Out May 31
A woman of pristine breeding, Lady Rosalind Devine is also an unrepentant meddler and snoop–which is why her brother refuses to leave her to her own devices while on his wedding trip. But Rosalind will not make things easy for any unseen, unwanted "nursemaid"–and vows to use her considerable wiles to expose her mystery guardian.
Nicholas Kincaid, the Marquess of Winterbourne, agreed to secretly guard his friend's spoiled, stubborn sister, though her infuriating penchant for mischief is causing him to question his decision. Though bound by the rules of society–and friendship– Rosalind's spirit and sensuality have sparked a fierce desire in Nicholas to play a very different role in her life, one that entails passion, ecstasy . . . and unavoidable scandal.
Click cover for excerpt
12) Out May 31 *Book Two in Brides of Nevarton Chase trilogy*
Having already been deceived by a heartless fiancé, the young heiress Genevieve Wallington-Wallis knows better than to trust any man—which is why her attraction to John Ready is so very disturbing. Though devilishly handsome, he is far too mysterious—and a humble coachman, no less! But one inadvertent kiss and Genevieve is lost.
John dares not reveal his true identity to anyone or it's the gallows for certain! He must concentrate on clearing his name—and prevent the fiend who sullied it, the notorious Raventhorpe, from working his evil on another innocent victim. But being this close to the clever, courageous, and exquisite Miss Wallington-Wallis is driving him to distraction. And surrendering to his desire—not to mention to love—may prove the most dangerous risk of all.
Click cover for excerpt and more details


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Wholesale Women's Clothing
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Designed by Jess Italia Lincoln.
The birds use the Aged Pewter Effect technique as seen in the Vintaj Metallic Patina: Aged Pewter Effect video. On the Art Deco Angel, Jess used a base of nouveau silver metallic patina with a glaze and ruby color wash over it.
The rivoli is secured in the center of the Ornate Wreath Filigree by backing and wrapping it with a Clover Petal Filigree. It's a tricky wrap, but once you get the back filigree wrap started you can always adjust the crystal placement before crimping down to secure it tightly.
For the Filigree Ring Connectors, Jess doubled them back to back and used Diamond Glaze to glue them on top.


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6 Facts About Snowy Owls
Normally, snowy owls spend their summers up at the very northernmost fringe of the world, in the arctic tundra.
This post is from Hugh Powell, science editor with Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Normally, snowy owls spend their summers up at the very northernmost fringe of the world, in the arctic tundra. They visit the U.S. most winters, but in low numbers. This year is one of the best in memory—they've been seen from Nova Scotia to the Olympic Peninsula and as far south as Missouri. Have you seen one yet? Here are a few things you might not know about this great white owl, and a video to whet your appetite.
1 They aren't cold. Remember, any snowy owl you see this winter is about as far south as it ever goes. Snowy owls live through dark, frigid winters, and sit through minus 40 degree nights without flinching. Regardless of how cold you might be, they really aren't fazed by a 15-degree day in the Lower 48.
2. They're owls of the daytime—as you might expect for a bird that hails from the land of the midnight sun. Perhaps that's why they don't have quite as thrilling a hoot as their nocturnal kin. Instead, they make simple, hoarse whoos or excitable squawks that don't seem to fit their regal bearing. Listen to them at our Macaulay Library site (here's a hoot and a squawk).
3 They eat a lot of lemmings. Snowy owls are excellent hunters, and they make the most of the Arctic's prodigious supplies of lemmings. They pounce on them, take them on the wing, even snatch them from under the snow, finding them by sound alone if they need to. A single adult may eat 300 pounds of lemmings per year, feeding its brood of "owlets" another 1,500 lemmings before they leave home. In winter, some switch to eating ptarmigan and waterfowl. John James Audubon reportedly saw one lying on its belly and catching fish from a rock.
4 The males and females look different (don't tell Harry Potter). As with most raptors, females are substantially bigger than males. At up to 6.5 pounds, females are the biggest owls by weight in North America. Females are also more heavily barred with black than the males, which get paler throughout their lives. An all-white Snowy Owl is pretty much always an older male (apologies to Harry Potter, but Hedwig was a male all along.)
5 Winter is the time to see them, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology can help you find them. Here's a confession: I've never seen a snowy owl in real life before. But this year maybe my luck will change. By using eBird, our free online checklist program, I can check and see where other bird watchers have seen snowy owls near me. You can get your own map to the nearest snowy owl, too: Zoom in toward your hometown, and you'll see markers showing sightings so far this month.
6 If you can't find them outdoors, there's always the Internet. Check out this video made by my friend Gerrit Vyn, in our Multimedia program, and spend a little quality time with these silent visitors from the great white north. (Oh, and watch the owl pairs, too, to see if you can pick out the smaller, whiter males from the bigger, darker females):
I'd love to hear your stories about seeing snowy owls in the comments!


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Diabetes Journal Mac
We have created this program as a service to the community of people who are suffering from diabetes and/or hypoglycemia, as is our vice-president.
Please provide the program at no charge to anyone you think might benefit from it. We do, however, retain the copyright to the program, and ask that you include this Read Me document and all the supporting files with every copy. Diabetes Journal provides an easy way to keep track of your blood sugar levels, medications taken, food and drinks consumed, total carbohydrates consumed, blood pressure and pulse, and the way you feel. You can easily enter your information in the data view, view it in the list view, and print a report to take to your physician.


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Although seventy-eight years have passed since the Battle of the Somme was fought, interest in this, the bloodiest battle of the First World War, has never waned. Ray Westlake has collated all the information so painstakingly gathered, to produce a comprehensive compendium of the exact movements of every battalion involved in the battle. This book is invaluable not only to researchers but to all those visiting the battlefield and anxious to trace the movements of their forbears.
About The Author
Goodreads Reviews+
More from this publisher


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Karma Marches Back
Four hundred years ago, Hindu temples in St. Francis Xavier's homeland would have been unthinkable. Indeed, he and his armies were destroying hundreds of them in Goa, India (see ht, Oct. '97). Times have changed. In a peaceful retribution on November 4, 1998, 3,000 members of the Comunidade Hindu de Portugal proudly inaugurated a huge temple in Lisbon to Radha-Krishna, Siva and Rama. Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio blessed the event. The new complex is a cultural hub for the Communidade, which has grown from five families in 1982 to 8,000 today. Like many European nations, Portugal is adjusting to immigrants from its former colonies. In 1974, after the Portuguese Revolution, the African colony of Mozambique became an independent nation. Between 1977 and 1980, much of its large Hindu community emigrated to Portugal and joined with émigrés from other former Portuguese territories to preserve their Indian heritage.
Colorful New Faces
A fledgling Hindu community added its voice to a multicultural landscape in October, 1998, with a festival of song, dance and drama. More than 500 Telegu speakers gathered in Auckland to mark the official registration of the New Zealand Telegu Association. There are an estimated 500 to 600 Telegu families in Auckland itself, many who migrated from India in the past four years. Association secretary Dr. Srinivas Kasha said the reasons for the rapid migration were unclear, but for him, New Zealand offered a safe, peaceful and healthy environment. The Association will make the government aware of their difficulties in registering with professional bodies and finding suitable jobs. They also plan to bring cultural performers from Andhra Pradesh and present radio programs in Telegu.
Financial Guru
You're gainfully employed but are $30,000 in debt. If your financial consultant is Suze Orman, don't expect dismal lectures. Stop wallowing in solitary shame. Figure out what childhood memory led to self-defeating money habits. Repeat a mantra like, "I have more money than I'll ever need." So goes, according to a recent Newsweek
article, the wisdom of the "hottest guru on the financial-help circuit." Now a regular on Oprah Winfrey's "Change Your Life" show, Orman's emotionally correct financial advice has catapulted her best seller, The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, to sales of 1.7 million copies. She attributes her success to having turned to "Eastern religions" and learning that "money isn't everything" when she lost her financial planning business in 1987. Newsweek forgot to include that Orman is apparently big on Lord Ganesha.
The Comment
It wasn't exactly a demonstration of diplomacy. In October, 1998, Am Saefuddin, Muslim cabinet minister in Indonesia's government, publicly stated, according to newspapers in Jakarta, that popular opposition-faction leader Megawati Sukarnoputri "should not be elected president of predominantly Muslim Indonesia, because she is a Hindu." Balinese ears perked up at the remark. Outraged, over 100,000 Hindus on the tiny, tourist-infested island (see ht, Aug. '98) staged a peaceful protest. They accused Saefuddin of insulting their religion and demanded his resignation. Some Hindus threatened to stage a mass strike unless President Habibie fired Saefuddin. He's still there. Megawati is widely regarded as a potential president of Indonesia.
To Death Do We Smoke
Tobacco smoking has become one of the deadliest health hazards in history, and China is suffering badly from its effects, said the director-general of the World Health Organization in November, 1998. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland said 3.5 million people worldwide would die from tobacco smoking in 1998. That figure is expected to triple to ten million into the next century, with possibly two million deaths within China alone, she said in a speech at Beijing's Qinghua University. "China's share of this tragedy may be huge." If current smoking patterns persist in China--where two-thirds of men begin smoking before age 25--tobacco will eventually kill 100 million of the 300 million males now under 30, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Smoking already claims more than 2,000 lives in China every day. The study's findings show that if present trends continue, that figure will soar to 8,000 by 2050. Similarly grim statistics are cited for India, where, as in China, tobacco companies furiously promote their products, having lost many customers in the West.
Yellow Mark
Under a rigid new social code imposed by the Taliban Islamic militia in August, 1998, fifty Hindu families living in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar are required to wear a yellow piece of cloth on their shirts to distinguish them as Hindus. After Kandahar was conquered by the Taliban four years ago, Hindus were frequently intercepted by the religious police for not having beards, as the hardline Islamic regime had banned beard trimming. The new code aims to avoid confusion. Sikhs, who keep beards and wear turbans, escape any Taliban action because they also wear a steel bangle as part of an insignia of their faith. A Taliban official said there is no restriction on non-Muslim minorities' performing of their religious duties: "Hindus and Sikhs live freely here, but of course they have to abide by the laws of the land." Hindu community elder S.L. Birwani feels minorities should adjust to the law. "Like other Afghan girls, our women wear veils and cannot go to school," he said.
To Rudra Lord of sacrifice, of hymns and balmy medicines, we pray for joy and health and strength.
He shines in splendor like the Sun, refulgent as bright gold is He, the good, the best among the Gods.
I have known, beyond all darkness, that great Person of golden effulgence.
Only by knowing him does one conquer death.
There is no other way of escaping the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.
Now, that golden Person who is seen within the sun has a golden beard and golden hair.
He is exceedingly brilliant, all, even to the fingernail tips.
His eyes are even as a Kapyasa lotus-flower.
His name is High. He is raised high above all evils. Verily, he who knows this rises high above all evils.
Verily, the immortal Brahman is everywhere; in front and behind, to the north and the south, above and below; verily,
Brahman alone is this great universe.
"Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse; and the realization of the truth that the number of gods to be worshiped is large, that indeed is the distinguishing feature of the Hindu religion."
B.G. Tilak's definition of what makes one a basic Hindu, as quoted by India's Supreme Court. On July 2, 1995, the Court referred to it as an "adequate and satisfactory formula."
The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.


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WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday threatened Russia with tougher economic sanctions if it fails to back down from its chaotic involvement in Ukraine.
"What we see from Russia is an illegal and illegitimate effort to destabilize a sovereign state and create a contrived crisis with paid operatives across an international boundary," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Ukrainian officials said security forces drove pro-Russian protesters out of the regional government headquarters in Kharkiv and arrested about 70 of them, but demonstrators continue occupying the Donetsk regional administration in the nearby region. The protests come a month after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula, a move the West has not recognized.
Kerry called the demonstrations a "contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea."
President Barack Obama and Congress have imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation, and Kerry signaled the additional penalties on Russian energy, banking and mining could be imposed if Moscow fails to honor a sovereign Ukraine.
Kerry said the U.S. and European allies were united and willing to impose tough new sanctions.
Kerry said he would meet next week in Europe with Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian officials. He said Russia has a choice and can work with the international community.
"We have made it clear that Russia needs to take concrete steps to disavow separatist actions in Eastern Ukraine, pull back its forces outside the country -- which they say they have begun to do with the movement of one battalion -- and demonstrate that they are prepared to come to these discussions to do what is necessary to de-escalate," Kerry said.
A defiant Kerry engaged in testy exchanges with several of the Republicans on a committee he once led, defending the Obama administration's policies on Syria, the Middle East, Russia and Iran.
"On major issues, this administration is failing badly," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Kerry.
In a riff on President Teddy Roosevelt's famous line about speaking softly and carrying a big stick, McCain said the administration was dealing with Russia with a twig.
Kerry defended U.S. involvement in negotiations with Syria, Israel and the Palestinians and Iran.
"You declare them all dead. I don't," he told McCain. "We'll see what the verdict is."


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Chemico Grinding Paste (2.5kg) is a silicon carbide and lithium grease grinding compound available in 3 grades:
Chemico Grinding Paste has a lithium grease base, specifically formulated and UK manufactured. The high-viscosity, high-temperature lubricant provides inherent shear stability, that is the lubricant remains in place during the grinding operation for the most efficient grinding together with inherent corrosion protection and good sealing properties.
Silicon carbide is one of the hardest abrasives known and the particles are especially sharp. Moreover they are brittle and tend to break up into smaller particles that still retain their sharpness and so continue to work efficiently. Silicon Carbide is milled to provide the graded particles in each type of grinding compound. The four grades enable the optimum Chemico Grinding Paste for each operation to be selected for the most efficient grinding.
General Engineering. Tool making. Lapping, grinding and seating valves in engines. Hone cylinders, lap out score marks and remove burrs on metal. Lap shafts into bearings. Lap nuts into bolts. Lap cylinder heads, connecting rod and crankshaft bearings.
- Remove rust and grime from outboard motor propeller shafts and boat trailers.
- Sharpening blades for cylinder lawn mowers, hedge cutters, scissors and shears.
Always consult manufacturer's handbook/manual before commencing any operation and follow instructions given fully. This information is supplied for information and is based on laboratory and practical experience. In view of the wide range of applications and conditions of use no liability is accepted for any loss or accident which occur from its use or application.


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- Tech Trader Daily
Zynga: JP Morgan Says Hold; Less Potential after 51% Run-up
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
Shares of online games purveyor Zynga (ZNGA) are down 96 cents, or almost 7%, at $13.72 after JP Morgan's Doug Anmuth cut his rating on the shares to Neutral from Overweight, but maintained his $15 price target, writing that after a 51% appreciation since late January, the stock reflects much of the upside from recent developments in Zynga's market.
Investors are specifically optimistic about the "Zynga Platform," a new "cloud computing" facility to host third-party games, which Zynga unveiled last week. And they are enthusiastic about the potential for online gambling being legalized, and just generally optimistic about social gaming, writes Anmuth.
Zynga "is poised to benefit from a number of key Internet trends," writes Anmuth, "including social, increased smartphone and tablet penetration, the rapidly growing app economy, and the secular shift toward free-to-play games."
But, Anmuth has reasons to temper his enthusiasm about Zynga.
Writing about recently introduced games, such as "Scramble with Friends," and also the casino-style games the company is coming out with, Anmuth concludes "We are optimistic on newer games, but we believe their bookings impact may not be felt more until 2H12."
As for the Zynga Platform, or Zynga.com, as it's known, he believes "game economics will not change for Zynga, and it will likely take some time to drive traffic to the new site and for players to get comfortable with an additional gaming destination."
And as for the move to online gaming, "The legalized U.S. online poker market could be $3.5-$5.0B in 2015 and Zynga has indicated it is talking with all the major gambling players, though timing on either a state-by-state or federal basis is unclear."


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Hook's Sportfishing
in Oxnard
Fishing charters for lingcod, rockfish, calico bass.
3550 South Harbor Blvd
Oxnard, California 93035
United States
Codfather Charters
in Long Island
The Codfather is Captained by an experienced Fisherman who has fished and piloted boats around the Long Island NY waters for many years. He understands the diversity of species around the bays, channels, flats, inlets & ocean.
Captain Stacy Fishing Center
Captain Stacy Fishing Center offers Morehead City charter fishing from Atlantic Beach nc with Headboat Fishing, Bottom Fishing, Trolling, and Private Charters for Red Snapper, Grouper, Trigger Fish, Black Sea Bass, Amberjack, Blue Marlin, Tuna, Mahi
416 Atlantic Beach Causeway
Morehead City, North Carolina 28512
United States
Helen H Fleet
in Hyannis
Helen H Fleet offers Cape Cod Fishing Charters with deep sea fishing charters from Hyannis Massachusetts for Cod, Bass, Tuna, Sea Bass
137 Pleasant Street
Hyannis, Massachusetts 02601
United States
Cocodrie Charters
in Cocodrie
Cocodrie Charters offers Cocodrie Fishing at their Louisiana Fishing Lodge for Speckled Trout and Redfish.
Cocodrie, Louisiana 70344
United States
Channel Islands Sportfishing
in Oxnard
Fishing charter for calico bass, white seabass, halibut, sand bass, barracuda, yellowtail, Whale watching
4151 S. Victoria Avenue
Oxnard, California 93035
United States


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Let a little light in
Ask For our GREEN: CertainTeed Landmark Series Premium Shingles
P.J. Fitzpatrick, Inc. can install skylights and sun tunnels in your home's roof. Whether it's in-reach or out of reach we can help you find the perfect solution so that you can not only light your home with natural sunlight, but vent your roof letting in outside air.
All of our skylights are provided by VELUX which come with a 10 year warranty.
Our Skylights can be installed in two ways:
What is a Sun Tunnel?
A sun tunnel is a flexible tube that reflects sunlight through your roof and into hard to reach areas of your home. Bathrooms, closets, side rooms and anywhere else your house needs more light.
In many cases a skylight cannot be put into a room where there is an obstruction in the roof that prevents a typical skylight.
Sun tunnels are smaller and can bend around problem areas to provide you with the sunlight you need!